Among the industry trends observed by the experts at the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, we note a growing craze for refined watches. “Combining simplicity and elegance, these uncomplicated models, known in Italy as solo tempofocus on the essentials: the indication of hours, minutes and seconds. This watchmaking minimalism seduces with its refinement, embodying a sober and timeless approach to the art of watchmaking.”
All generations seem attracted to these timepieces with simple temporary indications, including millennialsthese generations born between 1980 and the mid-1990s. This trend corresponds to the return to watchmaking classicism, where readability takes precedence over the accumulation of functions visible on the dial. In the event that a complication is added, its display remains sober, like the large date displayed by A. Lange & Söhne on its iconic Lange 1, which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, or Mido on its Multifort TV Big Date reference, now available in pink gold and chocolate dial.
For its part, the collaboration between Bucherer 1888 and the masters of fine watchmaking at H. Moser & Cie. gave birth to the Pioneer Center Seconds Bucherer Exclusive model, with a smoked amber dial, with a frosted texture. A design that combines functionality and style, whose inspiration was drawn from a series of old photographs exhibited in the former residence of the Moser family. Snapshots in sepia tones, witnesses of travels and discoveries from a bygone era.
Aesthetic balance
It is also an invitation to escape that Louis Vuitton offers in its revisited Escale collection. These new three-hand timepieces, deliberately refined, are intended to be taken everywhere, unlike the artistic pieces of the Escale Cabinet of Wonders line or the previous references to complications in the collection. This sobriety is not incompatible with preciousness: on one of the Escale models, a monochrome symphony is expressed from the titanium case to the meteorite dial. The complex texture and nuances of the mysterious mineral counterbalance the apparent bareness of the watch.
On its King Seiko Pop references, Seiko was inspired by the Ivy League style, a university locker room born on the East Coast of the United States in the 1950s. It then developed in Japan during the following decade, dawn of the birth of the King Seiko mechanical line at Seiko. Three creations take up the codes of men’s ready-to-wear. They refer to the green color of Ivy League regulation ties, the burgundy popular for rugby outfits and the Saxon blue of Oxford fabric shirts.
With its sunray dial in a shade close to a gradient blue-gray, Jaeger-LeCoultre offers a new interpretation of its Master Ultra Thin Date on steel. A tone that perfectly suits the timeless aesthetic of this reference, adapted to the watchmaking elegance of the 21st century. Its only coquetry is the date positioned at 6 o’clock. A location which is also favored by IWC: the small seconds is displayed under the hour and minute hands on the Portugieser Automatic 40, which has opted for this aesthetic balance whose elegance has proven itself.
When Patek Philippe unveiled its brand new Cubitus collection last October, the three exclusive models primarily struck observers with the geometric audacity of the square-shaped case with rounded corners. A design with an assertive style accentuated by alternating satin and polished finishes. The manufacture thus wanted to give a new interpretation of the sport chic style, which is expressed with particular sobriety on the Cubitus reference 58 1/1A-001 in steel with an olive green sunray dial. Even the virtuosos of complications do not hesitate to return to the fundamentals of timeless elegance.